Saturday, 26 July 2014

The government walks a tightrope between inculcating military discipline
and physical fitness in the country’s youth, whilst also safeguarding against a
militarised society from where extremist groups can draw on disgruntled youngsters
with military training.

While the defence ministry expands the National Cadet Corps (NCC) from 1,500,000
students countrywide to 1,850,000, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley told
parliament on Friday that the government does not favour compulsory military
training.

He was responding to Karnataka Member of Parliament (MP), CS Putta Raju.
Several MPS have made similar proposals over the last five years. Three private
member bills have sought compulsory military training. This includes one from Adhir
Ranjan Chowdhury, minister of state for railways in the United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) government, and now Congress Party president in West Bengal.

Mr Jaitley rejected compulsory military training for four reasons. First,
it would violate India’s “democratic ethos”, where people are free to choose
their professions. He said, “The Constitution does not provide for compulsory
military training”.

Second, this might militarise India’s fragile society. In a
startling admission, Mr Jaitley declared: “With our socio-political and
economic conditions, (compulsory military training) is highly undesirable, lest
some of the unemployed youth trained in military skills join the ranks of the
undesirable elements.”

The government’s apprehension about its citizens contrasts with the United
States, where the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects the rights of
individuals to keep and carry arms. This is justified through citizens’ right
to self-defence, the right to resist oppression (including by the state), and
the civic duty to come to the defence of the state. Passed in 1791, this one-sentence
amendment states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of
a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be
infringed.”

Jaitley’s third objection to compulsory military training is that, the armed
forces have “no problem in getting adequate numbers of volunteer recruits.”
Therefore, there was no need to provide military training across the board.

Last, the government’s reply noted that training youth across the
country would involve enormous expense and infrastructure creation. “The likely
benefits of imparting military training to all the youth will not be
commensurate with the expenditure involved in such an effort,” he said.

While compulsory military training carries ominous overtones, the
government has steadily expanded the NCC, which includes military and weapons
training. Last September, at an apex NCC council meeting, the UPA minister of
state for defence, Jitendra Singh, suggested “including aspects of the NCC
syllabus into the curriculum of all schools and colleges.”

The demand for NCC training is strong. Last September the defence
ministry stated that 4613 schools and 2764 colleges are on the waiting list for
NCC training, with some having applied 25 years ago. To meet that demand, the
NCC is upgrading 153 “minor units” to battalion strength. This would allow
training to be extended to some 3200 institutions on the waiting list, and increasing
the NCC’s strength to 18.5 lakhs.

Also
being explored is a “self-financing model”, in which out of turn sanction would
be provided to private schools willing to pay the full cost of NCC training.

Even without "military" training we have our "George of the Jungle" types aplenty planting IEDs, attacking police stations etc. The Salwa Judum was another example of how NOT to arm the citizenry.

In a country like India with millenia of ethnic tensions, hundreds of large communities, caste systems and political ideologies, the ability to organize and gather a large number of trained individuals should not fall into the hands of any private actors for their own needs.

Considering the state of training our "reserve police forces" get and the average constable has, it would indeed by frightening to have hundreds of millions of militarily trained youth out and about in society; some eager to test their skills to prove themselves or desperate enough to do so for private gain or take up arms in the name of some popular cause or disaffection with the government or society at large.

The staggering homicide rate in the USA -especially the mass shootings and misguided religious and racial violence, despite its massive presence of "law-enforcement" all across, is one example of the "success" of the US Constitution's 2nd amendment.

The govt is correct in its decision. Indeed India is a free nation, must allow liberty of thoughts & choices. Instead of compulsory military service, role & scope of armed fores can be increased by more augmented and active role of NCC, its recognition & application on daily lives. Also the Army managed educational institutes like Sainik Schools & vocational training should be expanded. In present scenario, where social structure is factional, and misaligned, military skill to all will be indeed dangerous, and may cause harboring of suck skillsets by undesired elements. As a safety measure, military service should be only as permanent employment for screened and shortlisted person, as it is done now.

Hi Ajai. Looking at the funnier side,Govts not wrong. But it shows a sense of reality about the fact that our political class knows that this country is a keg. Imagine if home trained Hindus decided to square off against jihadis ...that would wipe out one partys vote bank and others reason to exist

While military training of the citizenry may have its pros and significant cons, I feel it is more important that military 'virtues' such as discipline, obedience, punctuality and fitness be propagated through 'compulsory' universal military training. This could be through compulsory NCC training upto B-level at all Govt-funded schools and colleges. Private educational institutions should be eligible for grants and concessions based on their subscription to NCC cadre.

Similarly I feel that all Gazetted officers in the Central and State Govts MUST, MUST serve in the regular armed forces for atleast three years before their induction into the Central and State Civil Services or as it may be, the Police / Paramilitary forces.

Non-Gazetted cadre in Central / State Govts too must be exposed to military service either as 'C' Certificate holders in NCC, or as Territorial Army cadre or by serving a minimum of two years in a combatant unit of the Regular Armed Forces.